United Way of Hunterdon County sees volunteer growth

Pictured here, (from left) at Arc Works are Zarath Summers and Bobby Gorgy.

United Way is seeing a dramatic increase in volunteering – with more than double the rate of growth in volunteers compared to the U.S. and predicted increases next year, according to a new Community Leaders Survey by United Way Worldwide. Those numbers support the significant increase in volunteer activity seen by United Way of Hunterdon County this past year.

America’s volunteer rate is at its lowest point since the federal government started tracking it 12 years ago, down from 27.5% in 2002 to 25.4% in 2013. But United Way saw a 23.8% increase in volunteers in the same time period. And 73% of the global panel of United Way CEOs who responded predicts volunteering will continue to rise in the next year. These results are a reflection of United Way’s unique role in bringing together individuals, companies, government, labor, nonprofits, faith communities and more to create community solutions that drive lasting change and results in communities around the world.

Why is United Way seeing so many more volunteers and a dramatically bigger rate of volunteer growth? In most communities, United Way is the only nonprofit galvanizing people around community solutions improving education, financial stability and health, and the connection between all three.

The survey findings were released as part of a report, Volunteering: The Force Multiplier For Community Change. United Way unveiled the report right before its annual day of volunteering, called Day of Action. Every year on June 21, United Way hosts hundreds of events across the world that bring thousands of people together to volunteer in their local communities. This year, some 280 United Ways in all 50 states and 9 countries mobilized volunteers for projects focused on education, income and health.

Volunteers are a strong part of the community-building effort in Hunterdon County, said Bonnie Duncan, CEO of United Way of Hunterdon County. “For our Day of Action in Hunterdon County, 32 ExxonMobil volunteers came together to support NORWESCAP Food Bank and clients at Arc, Meals on Wheels and Briteside.

So why did volunteers spend their efforts at these locations? United Way of Hunterdon County (UWHC) has also identified strategic health objectives to pursue and to that end, meet another member of the United Way of Hunterdon County family: HAROLD – Health At Risk, Overwhelmed, Lifestyle Dilemmas. HAROLD is Health At Risk for a variety of reasons including being underinsured or un-insured, may have a predisposition to chronic physical or mental illness because of family history or behavior. Harold is Overwhelmed by stress caused by factors such as work, family (children and/or aging parents), finances and is faced with ongoing Lifestyle Dilemmas – lack of exercise due to limited time or limited budget, lack of awareness, leading to poor choices and/or decisions and poor nutrition. One of their goals is to increase resources, including our volunteer resources, to enable seniors and adults with disabilities to live in as least restrictive environment as possible.

ExxonMobil employees worked on art projects with clients at Arc, Pt. Breeze and Arc Works, exercised minds and bodies at Briteside senior center and helped Meals on Wheels get meals to homebound residents. These Day of Caring activities are just one way volunteers continue to assist HAROLD in Hunterdon County and contribute to the sustained health of the community.

The survey also revealed that the role of businesses, schools and faith institutions in engaging volunteers has great potential for solving community challenges. Businesses, schools, and faith institutions hold great potential to boost volunteering and build stronger communities. Some 61% of United Way CEOs say local employers are the best source for boosting volunteering and creating opportunities at a scale where communities actually improve. Some 50% of the CEOs pointed to schools, including high schools and universities, as holding great potential to scale up volunteerism. And 43% pointed to religious communities as strong partners in this area.

United Way of Hunterdon County’s Board of Trustees President, Joe DePinto, explains that these findings “support our decision to make a capital investment in volunteering by establishing a permanent Community Volunteer Center in Flemington that will open later this year.”

He added, “In Hunterdon, United Way partners with a wide variety of employers and nonprofits to engage citizens in community solutions and the Community Volunteer Center will provide us with a place where partners can come together to ensure a thriving community and a culture centered around volunteerism.”